The B2B market is governed by its own rules and effective content marketing for this market requires a different approach and communication strategy than in the case of the B2C model. Some marketing specialists argue that content marketing tools are useless in B2B because content marketing does not sell in this market. Well, that is not true; content marketing can be effective also in the B2B market, but only if it is properly carried out. Here we describe three basic steps to make content marketing a real sales support also in the B2B market.
Create a persona
Creating a persona, that is the archetype of the customer, should be the first step in the planning of content marketing. Although when it comes to communication between companies in the B2B model, remember that there are actual people behind them. This is the approach you need to understand before you start creating a communication process for B2B. Focus on what the potential customer is like, where they are located, what they are looking for, what tools they use, and what problems and needs they might have. Such knowledge will allow you to communicate at the further steps.
Approach every customer individually
Every business is different. You cannot develop content marketing based on patterns and one persona for everyone. Before the first content is created, you need to learn as much as possible about your customer’s business that will be targeted by content marketing. It requires a lot of knowledge and versatility, but it is necessary if you want to build content that is interesting and useful for B2B customers.
Speak their language
This step somewhat arises from the previous one – if you get to know your customer’s business well, you will be able to speak their language. It is a basis for effective communication. To that end, you have to find out what the customers actually need in order to provide them with knowledge that they will be able to put to use. If you can deliver that, then it might be the start of your business relationship.
